UFC: Not Giving Frankie Edgar a Rematch Would Have Been Screwing Him

They really dodged a bullet there.

UFC president Dana White, after meeting with Frankie Edgar in New Jersey following the UFC on FOX 3 press conference, announced via Twitter that Edgar would get his rematch for the lightweight title.

Frankly, it’s the ultimate case of what’s right is right. Doing anything else could have been a disaster, and it seemed like White and company were perilously close to going down that road.

Edgar, sometimes unpopular for his decision-heavy fighting style and tendency to dip and dive his way to racking up points, held the belt for almost two years until Benson Henderson took it away at UFC 144.

The decision was hotly contested, however between fans (haters?) not exactly rioting to see Edgar get another chance and White aggressively campaigning for him to head to featherweight for a shot at Jose Aldo, it seemed a long shot the fight would be booked.

At the end of the day, Edgar stood pat in his commitment to 155 pounds and his commitment to being deserving of another shot at gold, and that’s what’s going to happen. If anyone had a right to be so stubborn, the scrappy Jersey product is the guy.

It’s no secret that Edgar was liberal with rematches during his reign—so much so, in fact, that Henderson was the first man not named B.J. Penn or Gray Maynard he'd fought since 2010. In the deepest division in the sport, that’s ludicrous.

However, people felt he owed it to Penn, a legend with a big following who some thought was robbed when he lost their first meeting. Turns out he wasn’t.

Maynard almost killed Edgar, but didn’t and had to settle for a draw. They fought again, and the champion waxed him in the fourth round.

Aside from the track record Edgar had as champion, there’s the fact that his fight with Henderson was worthy of debate. White himself stated he had Edgar retaining, and he wasn’t alone. Many people felt that between being more active on the feet and scoring more takedowns, Frankie had done enough to win. The judges disagreed.

People don’t have to like it, but when it comes to booking Edgar vs. Henderson II, there was no other way to go.

Anthony Pettis was in line for a shot at gold, but he hasn’t beaten any real contenders since jumping to the UFC.

Aside from him, only the winner of Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller makes sense, but the promotion can’t put the division on hold for six or eight months just to avoid giving Frankie a second chance.

The division is deep, but there isn’t a clear-cut contender at the moment, so there isn’t a guy that plainly has a right to leapfrog Edgar.

Edgar has proven, through his willingness to fight the guys the UFC puts in front of him—often repeatedly—and with his timelessly gutsy performances, that he’s championship material. Giving him an immediate rematch with Henderson supports that, and it’s the right thing to do.

Anything else would have been unacceptable. It’s nice to see the UFC make the correct booking, even if it’s not the most wildly popular one.